Published:
2 April 2012The Tesla Roadster shares the dashboard, steering wheel, windscreen and canvas roof with the Lotus Elise, and while it’s slightly easier to get in and out, the rest of the cabin looks pretty similar, too.
They even use the same switches, although the Tesla’s are arranged neatly on a floor-mounted console. Here you’ll find switches for heating and ventilation systems, while to the outside of the driver is the powertrain control system.
The dials sit on the dash top, beneath which are the two most important readouts in the car: remaining battery life and current power use. The latter is a meter that swings right and left depending on whether you’re draining or charging the batteries.
The steering wheel is the same as an Elise’s; the instruments are similar, too. Cruise control switches sit on the end of one of the column stalks. You engage the Roadster in the same way as a regular Lotus: key in, turn on. The aftermarket stereo’s reception is as typically useless as an Elise’s.
The powertrain management screen will be relocated to the middle of the centre console after the Roadster’s restyle. Minor switchgear and materials will also change.
The gearlever and handbrake are all pretty conventional. Reverse just spins the motor backwards.The heater, air conditioning and battery-sapping heated seats are controlled from here. The traction control button won’t be used much.
